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2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the first Electric Light Orchestra album. The ELO story is one of continued success for over 50 years. From inauspicious beginnings in 1971, where live audiences barely reached double figures, ELO would become one of the most popular bands in the world by the end of the decade, thanks largely to the songwriting and production talents of Jeff Lynne; hits such as 'Evil Woman', 'Mr. Blue Sky and 'Don't Bring Me Down'; multi-platinum albums like Out Of The Blue and Discovery, and, of course, their spectacular stage shows. Although ELO finally called it a day in 1986, they re-emerged in 2014 as Jeff Lynne's ELO, playing a triumphant comeback conce...
The first book to analyse every Queen song - giving equal weight to album tracks alongside the hits . * Includes analysis of about 20 classic songs using the original 24 track master tapes. * Queen remain ever popular and active, and continue to tour despite the death of Freddie Mercury in 1991. This book examines Queen's music, album by album, track by track, in detail. Where possible, recourse to the original multi-track master tapes has provided extra insight. Those familiar hits are revisited, but those classic album cuts - like `Liar', `March of the Black Queen', `Death on Two Legs', and `Dragon Attack', `are given equal precedence. The book also examines the changes that these same fou...
Forming when punk was starting to become a force, The Police – led by drummer Stuart Copeland and singer/bassist Sting - used this emerging new form of music to create a sound that was both fresh, energetic and sophisticated. An early incarnation with guitarist Henry Padovani ended when Andy Summers joined the band, and under the innovative management of Miles Copeland, The Police took on the world. From 1978 to 1983, the band released five magnificent albums that took in rock, reggae, and world music. A succession of massive hit singles, including ‘Message In A Bottle’ and the classic and often misunderstood ‘Every Breath You Take’ also cemented their success. By 1983, they’d be...
Even after 40 years, critics of Tears For Fears have tended to describe them as an 80s band. This is understandable when songs like ‘Mad World’ appear in films that typify that period and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ has had a prolonged life as one of the most played songs on streaming services. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith quickly transformed from their first band, mod revivalists Graduate, to introspective studio obsessives with The Hurting, to global hitmakers on Songs from the Big Chair, before releasing The Seeds of Love - epic both in terms of vision and cost. Musical differences and strained relations led to the dissolution of the original partnership at the end of tha...
Generally regarded as one of the most tragic tales in the history of rock music, the story of Badfinger makes for an impressively sombre Hollywood-style film script. A Welsh and Liverpudlian hybrid, the band were signed to Apple Records, became protégés of The Beatles and produced four global hit singles. Two of its members also co-wrote the now perennial pop standard ‘Without You’, covered most notably by Harry Nilsson. Yet Badfinger found themselves plagued by ruinous misfortune and through a combination of unscrupulous business management, record label neglect and just plain bad luck, the dream soon lay in tatters with the band’s story ultimately culminating in the suicides of two...
Rising to prominence in 1994 on the back of their eponymous debut album, Korn ushered in a new sound within heavy metal which many would try and imitate in the years that followed. Earning themselves the title of ‘The Godfathers of Nu Metal’, the Bakersfield quintet has sold well over 40 million records, they have topped charts all around the world, and they have also won multiple awards which include two prestigious Grammys. Still firing on all cylinders after three decades, Korn continues to produce powerful and accessible anthems in the present day. Korn On Track covers all the band’s studio releases thus far - from their 1993 demo tape, Neidermayer’s Mind, to their thirteenth stu...
The Byrds were just a little bit ahead of their time. By releasing six genre-defining albums in three years, their transformative powers took electric guitars to traditional folk music, brought jazz into psychedelic pop and helped introduce what we now know as Americana, being the first major rock band to embrace the sound of Nashville. They were heralded as the pioneers of folk rock, acid rock and country rock, not to mention space rock, abstract electronics and all the inter-genre crossover material that defines most of their albums. They influenced so many of the musical movements that followed as they constantly progressed, hungry to push the boundaries of popular music. This book examin...
Formed in 1964 and still going strong in 2019, the Moody Blues are one of the most enduring bands in the history of rock. R&B, pop, psychedelic, symphonic, prog rock, folk rock, synth-pop, mainstream rock, they've experienced it all. 'Go Now', A number one single in 1965 was very nearly a postscript for the band had it not been for the pioneering 1967 album Days Of Future Passed. This set in motion a run of seven classic and hugely popular albums that put them at the forefront of symphonic rock in the early 1970s. A hiatus saw a flurry of solo projects before the band reconvened in 1977. Subsequent recordings were eagerly greeted by a loyal fan base and sell out concerts continue to this day. In 2018 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. This book examines each one of the band's studio albums and related recordings as well as tracing the band's long and diverse history. Solo projects and live recordings are also discussed making this the most comprehensive guide to the music of the Moody Blues yet published. Whether you are a loyal fan or someone who is curious to see what lies beyond `Nights in White Satin', this is essential reading.
Blue Öyster Cult On Track is a song-by-song analysis of the discography of Long Island’s greatest sons, the Blue Öyster Cult. Dubbed 'the thinking man’s heavy metal band' and celebrated by critics, fans and musicians since their debut album in 1972, the band carved a unique path in hard rock history by combining chops, humour, occultism, poetry, jazz chords and pop sensibilities. Best known for their FM radio hits '(Don’t Fear) The Reaper' and 'Burnin’ For You', Blue Öyster Cult’s discography is in fact a treasure trove of fascinating, ever-evolving music by a band that was never afraid to explore, and never had the slightest respect for genre boundaries. The band's influence st...
Slade were one of the biggest British bands of the 1970s. One of the early pioneers of glam rock, they enjoyed an incredible run of six number-one singles, five top-ten albums and a succession of sell-out tours. However, after a failed attempt at an American breakthrough in the mid-1970s, Slade returned to Britain and faced dwindling record sales, smaller concert halls and a music press that had lost interest in them. By the end of the decade, they were playing residencies in cabaret clubs and recorded a cover of a children’s novelty song. But then came a last-minute invitation to play the 1980 Reading Festival, setting in motion one of the most remarkable comebacks in rock history. It’s...